Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs summoned a British diplomat in Tehran following the arrest of several Iranian nationals in the United Kingdom on espionage charges, state media reported on Monday.
"Following the unjustified arrest of a number of Iranian nationals in the UK... the British charge d'affaires in Tehran was summoned on Sunday," Iran's IRNA news agency said.
Right after the arrest in early May, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi firmly denied any Iranian involvement in the alleged plot targeting the Israeli embassy in London, describing media reports as suspicious. He urged the British government to cooperate in a transparent investigation and warned of the possibility of third-party false-flag operations aimed at damaging Iran–UK relations.
Earlier this month, British police arrested seven Iranian nationals in two separate operations, which the interior minister described as among the most significant investigations of their kind in recent years.
The three men have been charged with engaging in conduct likely to assist a foreign intelligence service between August 14, 2024, and February 16, 2025, police said, adding that the foreign state to which the charges relate is Iran.
The charges come at a time of intense scrutiny of suspected Iran-backed activities in Britain.
Interior minister Yvette Cooper said Britain would take "separate action" to address the serious issues raised by the case of the three men.
"Iran must be held to account for its actions," she said in a statement. "We must also strengthen our powers to protect our national security as we will not tolerate growing state threats on our soil."
Police said in a separate statement later on Saturday that four other men arrested as part of the counter-terrorism operation had been released from custody but the investigation was still open.
"We made these arrests due to concerns about a suspected plot to target a specific premises," the statement said, adding that they continued to provide the premises with support.
"Our investigation remains active and is ongoing."
The eighth man was released without charge on Thursday.
Britain's domestic spy chief Ken McCallum said last year that officers had responded since 2022 to 20 Tehran-backed plots that potentially posed lethal threats to UK citizens and residents.
The three men charged - Mostafa Sepahvand, 39, Farhad Javadi Manesh, 44, and Shapoor Qalehali Khani Noori, 55 - were remanded in custody and will appear at a preliminary hearing at the central criminal court on June 6.
The court on Saturday heard allegations that the three men had targeted Britain-based journalists connected with Iran International, a broadcaster which is critical of the Iranian government.
Sepahvand was also charged with surveillance and intending to commit serious violence against a person in Britain, while Manesh and Noori were charged with surveillance and the intention that serious violent acts would be committed by others.
The men arrived by irregular means, the government said, including via small boats across the Channel between 2016 and 2022.
The British government has placed Iran on the highest tier of its foreign influence register, requiring Tehran to register everything it does to exert political influence in the UK.
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Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for the 6th of May, covering the latest developments you need to know.
The 61st Venice Biennale has opened under grey skies and political tension, with disputes over Russia and Israel, resignations on the jury, and protests marking the start of one of the art world’s most high-profile events.
The husband of imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has expressed growing concern over her health following her hospitalisation for severe medical complications, warning that her condition could become life-threatening without proper treatment.
A 77-year-old man and a 63-year-old woman were killed on Monday (4 May), after a man drove a car into a crowd on a pedestrianised street in the the eastern German city of Leipzig, authorities said.
Iran warned Armerican forces on Monday (4 May) not to enter the Strait of Hormuz, after the U.S. said it had launched a mission to try and reopen the sea passage. Meanwhile, Iran's Foreign Minister said there was no military solution to the Middle East conflict.
The United Arab Emirate said it was dealing with missile and drone attacks from Iran for the second day in a row on Tuesday (5 May), despite denials from authorities in Tehran who threatened a "crushing response" if the UAE retaliated.
The steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art were transformed once again into the world's most prestigious runway for the 2026 Met Gala. This year’s theme, 'Costume Art,' invited guests to explore the intersection of nature, history, and the surreal under the official dress code 'Fashion Is Art'.
Uzbekistan has unveiled a series of major economic and regional initiatives as more than 4,000 delegates from over 100 countries gather in Samarkand for the 59th Annual Meeting of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), held under the theme “Crossroads of Progress.”
While the U.S. and Iran exchange strong messages over the Strait of Hormuz, their words may be misunderstood and lead to wider instability across the whole of the Middle East, according to a Baku-based political commentator.
The husband of imprisoned Iranian Nobel Peace Prize laureate Narges Mohammadi has expressed growing concern over her health following her hospitalisation for severe medical complications, warning that her condition could become life-threatening without proper treatment.
New high-speed trains launched between Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent and the UNESCO-listed Silk Road city of Khiva will slash journey times from 14 hours to 7.5 hours according to Uzbekistan's state railway company, Uzbek City.
Armenia says open borders, regional connectivity and economic integration are central to its peace strategy, as Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan highlighted the country’s evolving normalisation agenda with Türkiye at the Yerevan Dialogue 2026 forum.
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas’s planned visits to Yerevan and Baku framed the 8th European Political Community summit on 4 May, as European leaders focused on fragile South Caucasus peace efforts and rising geopolitical tensions.
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